Could the Reds have used

[flyer85]

Tim Lincecum, RHP, Giants
Less than a year after being drafted, Lincecum has an outside shot to break camp in the San Francisco rotation and become this year's Justin Verlander. He's only 6 feet tall but has a big fastball and even bigger curve.

from Alan Schwarz

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by flyer85

Short RH pitcher eh?

Dangerous road to traverse, mostly a long shot.

[M2]

Originally Posted by westofyou

Short RH pitcher eh?

Dangerous road to traverse, mostly a long shot.

Lincecum's one of the surest things you'll ever find on the mound. His stuff is surreal.

[lollipopcurve]

Let's not forget that the Royals, Rockies, Pirates and Mariners all drafted college righthanders not named Tim Lincecum before Lincecum went to the Giants. He was not seen as the best option even within his age-and-position group by those teams.

It's too early to pronounce anyone drafted in 06 a success or a failure.

[BRM]

Originally Posted by M2

Lincecum's one of the surest things you'll ever find on the mound. His stuff is surreal.

I remember lots of Zoner's clamoring for the Reds to draft him last summer.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by M2

Lincecum's one of the surest things you'll ever find on the mound. His stuff is surreal.

Eddie Bane he ain't (height wise) perhaps he'll pull an Oswalt?

[Johnny Footstool]

Originally Posted by lollipopcurve

Let's not forget that the Royals, Rockies, Pirates and Mariners all drafted college righthanders not named Tim Lincecum before Lincecum went to the Giants. He was not seen as the best option even within his age-and-position group by those teams.

It's too early to pronounce anyone drafted in 06 a success or a failure.

Those four teams are literally dripping with incompetence.

[NJReds]

That's at least the third pitcher I've read that's going to be "this year's Justin Verlander."

[lollipopcurve]

Those four teams are literally dripping with incompetence.

You don't like the Royals recent first rounders Butler and Gordon? Or the Rockies' Tulowitzki? Or the Pirates' McCutcheon? Seems to me they've drafted pretty well recently (though it ain't that tough at the top), and I assume the same people who made those choices were pulling the trigger in 06. Point being, Lincecum was not generally seen as a "duh" pick anywhere in the top ten. He's got that short righthander thing, and his two-pitch arsenal, devastating as it may be, may be more Tom Gordon than Dwight Gooden when it's all said and done (not that Tom Gordon wouldn't be an acceptable outcome, but his best days were in the pen). I maintain the Reds went the safe route with Stubbs -- he won't have to hit all that much (his solid power and patience will allow him to survive) to be an asset to the team in CF. I wouldn't judge him by his batting average alone, but that's what folks seem to be doing.

[flyer85]

Originally Posted by NJReds

That's at least the third pitcher I've read that's going to be "this year's Justin Verlander."

he has both an 80 rating on his fastball and curveball. He was considered to have the best fastball and best curveball in the draft.

The Reds didn't select a pitcher, instead that selected a "toolsy" OF with a questionable bat.

[edabbs44]

I would have loved to see Lincecum.

BA had a chat not long ago, where one of the writers posted his top 10 prospects. Homer was 6th, Bruce 7th and Lincecum 10th, IIRC. 3 Top 10s would be ridiculous.

I think Stubbs was an awful pick. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

[flyer85]

Originally Posted by edabbs44

I think Stubbs was an awful pick. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

Stubbs certainly had an inauspicious debut.

[M2]

Originally Posted by lollipopcurve

Let's not forget that the Royals, Rockies, Pirates and Mariners all drafted college righthanders not named Tim Lincecum before Lincecum went to the Giants. He was not seen as the best option even within his age-and-position group by those teams.

It's too early to pronounce anyone drafted in 06 a success or a failure.

Lincecum dropped for the same reason that Andrew Miller, Mike Pelfrey, Luke Hochevar, Jered Weaver and Scott Kazmir dropped. Teams thought he'd want too much money.

You can never pronounce any pitching prospect a success until he reaches the majors and succeeds, but Lincecum hurls untouchable advanced stuff.

[lollipopcurve]

Lincecum dropped for the same reason that Andrew Miller, Mike Pelfrey, Luke Hochevar, Jered Weaver and Scott Kazmir dropped. Teams thought he'd want too much money.

I don't recall this at all.

Detroit won't bite on Hochevar if the Royals go in a different direction, but it wouldn’t be afraid to battle for Miller. But the Tigers can get a quality pitcher without as much fuss by choosing Kershaw or Lincecum.

This is from Jim Callis's mock draft shortly before the draft. He makes no reference at all to signability issues with Lincecum. Miller was the one most teams were afraid of. I follow the draft very closely, but maybe I missed something...

[NJReds]

Originally Posted by flyer85

he has both an 80 rating on his fastball and curveball. He was considered to have the best fastball and best curveball in the draft.

The Reds didn't select a pitcher, instead that selected a "toolsy" OF with a questionable bat.

I wasn't commenting on the Reds draft. I'm not a fan of Stubbs and I wouldn't have complained at all had they taken Lincecum. But let's let him throw a couple pitches in the majors before engraving his name on the Cy Young Award.